This is one of the men God sent my way when I felt and sounded like I was crazy, and I couldn't put into words what God was saying to me or find it in the Bible because I had never read or picked up a Bible until this year and really started reading. God told me no, there are not only great men in the Bible but also in this life, and he was one because I felt like I was alone. God started showing me that everything he was speaking to me is in his word.
Smith Wigglesworth: The Apostle of Faith
Smith Wigglesworth (1859–1947), often called the "Apostle of Faith," is one of the most prominent and intense figures in early Pentecostal history. He was a blunt, straight-talking plumber from Yorkshire, England, who was completely transformed into a global healing evangelist.
His life is a powerful example of someone who relied completely on the authority of the Holy Spirit rather than on human systems, education, or organizational structures.
1. His Background & Testimony: A Broken Vessel
Wigglesworth's early life was marked by hardship, making his testimony all the more remarkable.
- Extreme Poverty: Born into severe poverty, he began working in the fields pulling turnips at six years old. By age seven, he was working 12 to 14 hours a day in a textile mill to help support his family. Because of this, he received virtually no formal education.
- Illiteracy: He grew up unable to read or write. After marrying Mary Jane "Polly" Featherstone in 1882, she patiently taught him to read using only the Bible. Polly was an officer in the Salvation Army and a gifted preacher.
- Temper and Stutter: Before fully surrendering to God's work, Wigglesworth earned a living as a plumber. He openly admitted struggling with an explosive temper, saying:
«"Such a bad temper I used to have, it made me tremble all over."»
He also had a severe stutter, which prevented him from public speaking. Polly did the preaching while he handled finances and devoted himself to prayer.
His Turning Point (1907)
At 48 years old, Wigglesworth attended the Sunderland Revival. During the meeting, Mary Boddy, the wife of an Anglican minister, laid hands on him, and he experienced what Pentecostals call the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
His stutter immediately disappeared, and he began speaking in tongues.
When he returned home and preached for the first time, his wife Polly sat amazed in the audience, repeatedly whispering:
«"That's not my Smith... that's not my Smith!"»
2. What Made Him Different? "The Man of One Book"
Smith Wigglesworth lived differently from most ministers of his generation.
He Read Only the Bible
After learning to read through Scripture, the Bible became the only book he read.
He refused to read newspapers, magazines, or secular literature, believing God's Word alone was sufficient to build faith.
He often said:
«"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—they are the best tracts on healing."»
His Conviction About Divine Healing
Wigglesworth and his wife made a personal covenant not to rely on medicine or doctors, choosing instead to trust God for healing. This reflected their personal conviction about faith and divine healing.
He testified that after suffering a ruptured appendix, he was miraculously healed through prayer.
Spiritual Warfare
He believed sickness was ultimately connected to the work of Satan in a fallen world and ministered with bold faith that Christ's authority was greater.
3. The Secret of His Power
Those closest to Wigglesworth, including his friend Albert Hibbert, described the spiritual habits that shaped his life.
The 15-Minute Rule
Wigglesworth never considered himself fully dressed unless he carried a New Testament in his pocket.
He committed himself never to go more than 15 minutes without either reading God's Word or spending time in prayer, regardless of where he was or what he was doing.
He lived by four simple principles:
1. Read the Word of God.
2. Consume the Word until it consumes you.
3. Believe the Word.
4. Act on the Word.
He never relied on education, eloquence, or natural ability.
Instead, he confessed:
«"There never was a weaker man on the platform... All natural things in my life point exactly opposite to my being able to stand on the platform and preach the gospel. The secret is that the Holy Ghost came."»
His Global Ministry
Wigglesworth preached throughout the world, including South Africa, the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Many testimonies describe remarkable healings during his ministry, including reports of cancers disappearing, blind eyes receiving sight, and numerous other miracles. Some biographical accounts also claim that people were raised from the dead through his prayers. While these accounts are widely circulated in Pentecostal literature, the level of historical documentation varies, and readers should distinguish between firsthand evidence and later testimonies.
Lessons from His Life
Smith Wigglesworth lived as though there should be no gap between what Jesus taught in the Gospels and how believers live every day.
His life reminds Christians that God often chooses ordinary people who fully trust Him rather than those who simply possess natural ability.
His message was simple:
- Fill your life with God's Word.
- Live a life of continual prayer.
- Believe what God has spoken.
- Act in obedience.
- Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than your own strength.
As the apostle Paul wrote:
«"My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." — 1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV)»
And as Jesus promised:
«"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also..." — John 14:12 (KJV)»
Smith Wigglesworth: The Apostle of Faith
Smith Wigglesworth (1859–1947), often called the "Apostle of Faith," is one of the most prominent and intense figures in early Pentecostal history. He was a blunt, straight-talking plumber from Yorkshire, England, who was completely transformed into a global healing evangelist.
His life is a powerful example of someone who relied completely on the authority of the Holy Spirit rather than on human systems, education, or organizational structures.
1. His Background & Testimony: A Broken Vessel
Wigglesworth's early life was marked by hardship, making his testimony all the more remarkable.
- Extreme Poverty: Born into severe poverty, he began working in the fields pulling turnips at six years old. By age seven, he was working 12 to 14 hours a day in a textile mill to help support his family. Because of this, he received virtually no formal education.
- Illiteracy: He grew up unable to read or write. After marrying Mary Jane "Polly" Featherstone in 1882, she patiently taught him to read using only the Bible. Polly was an officer in the Salvation Army and a gifted preacher.
- Temper and Stutter: Before fully surrendering to God's work, Wigglesworth earned a living as a plumber. He openly admitted struggling with an explosive temper, saying:
«"Such a bad temper I used to have, it made me tremble all over."»
He also had a severe stutter, which prevented him from public speaking. Polly did the preaching while he handled finances and devoted himself to prayer.
His Turning Point (1907)
At 48 years old, Wigglesworth attended the Sunderland Revival. During the meeting, Mary Boddy, the wife of an Anglican minister, laid hands on him, and he experienced what Pentecostals call the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
His stutter immediately disappeared, and he began speaking in tongues.
When he returned home and preached for the first time, his wife Polly sat amazed in the audience, repeatedly whispering:
«"That's not my Smith... that's not my Smith!"»
2. What Made Him Different? "The Man of One Book"
Smith Wigglesworth lived differently from most ministers of his generation.
He Read Only the Bible
After learning to read through Scripture, the Bible became the only book he read.
He refused to read newspapers, magazines, or secular literature, believing God's Word alone was sufficient to build faith.
He often said:
«"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—they are the best tracts on healing."»
His Conviction About Divine Healing
Wigglesworth and his wife made a personal covenant not to rely on medicine or doctors, choosing instead to trust God for healing. This reflected their personal conviction about faith and divine healing.
He testified that after suffering a ruptured appendix, he was miraculously healed through prayer.
Spiritual Warfare
He believed sickness was ultimately connected to the work of Satan in a fallen world and ministered with bold faith that Christ's authority was greater.
3. The Secret of His Power
Those closest to Wigglesworth, including his friend Albert Hibbert, described the spiritual habits that shaped his life.
The 15-Minute Rule
Wigglesworth never considered himself fully dressed unless he carried a New Testament in his pocket.
He committed himself never to go more than 15 minutes without either reading God's Word or spending time in prayer, regardless of where he was or what he was doing.
He lived by four simple principles:
1. Read the Word of God.
2. Consume the Word until it consumes you.
3. Believe the Word.
4. Act on the Word.
He never relied on education, eloquence, or natural ability.
Instead, he confessed:
«"There never was a weaker man on the platform... All natural things in my life point exactly opposite to my being able to stand on the platform and preach the gospel. The secret is that the Holy Ghost came."»
His Global Ministry
Wigglesworth preached throughout the world, including South Africa, the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Many testimonies describe remarkable healings during his ministry, including reports of cancers disappearing, blind eyes receiving sight, and numerous other miracles. Some biographical accounts also claim that people were raised from the dead through his prayers. While these accounts are widely circulated in Pentecostal literature, the level of historical documentation varies, and readers should distinguish between firsthand evidence and later testimonies.
Lessons from His Life
Smith Wigglesworth lived as though there should be no gap between what Jesus taught in the Gospels and how believers live every day.
His life reminds Christians that God often chooses ordinary people who fully trust Him rather than those who simply possess natural ability.
His message was simple:
- Fill your life with God's Word.
- Live a life of continual prayer.
- Believe what God has spoken.
- Act in obedience.
- Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than your own strength.
As the apostle Paul wrote:
«"My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." — 1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV)»
And as Jesus promised:
«"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also..." — John 14:12 (KJV)»
This is one of the men God sent my way when I felt and sounded like I was crazy, and I couldn't put into words what God was saying to me or find it in the Bible because I had never read or picked up a Bible until this year and really started reading. God told me no, there are not only great men in the Bible but also in this life, and he was one because I felt like I was alone. God started showing me that everything he was speaking to me is in his word.
Smith Wigglesworth: The Apostle of Faith
Smith Wigglesworth (1859–1947), often called the "Apostle of Faith," is one of the most prominent and intense figures in early Pentecostal history. He was a blunt, straight-talking plumber from Yorkshire, England, who was completely transformed into a global healing evangelist.
His life is a powerful example of someone who relied completely on the authority of the Holy Spirit rather than on human systems, education, or organizational structures.
1. His Background & Testimony: A Broken Vessel
Wigglesworth's early life was marked by hardship, making his testimony all the more remarkable.
- Extreme Poverty: Born into severe poverty, he began working in the fields pulling turnips at six years old. By age seven, he was working 12 to 14 hours a day in a textile mill to help support his family. Because of this, he received virtually no formal education.
- Illiteracy: He grew up unable to read or write. After marrying Mary Jane "Polly" Featherstone in 1882, she patiently taught him to read using only the Bible. Polly was an officer in the Salvation Army and a gifted preacher.
- Temper and Stutter: Before fully surrendering to God's work, Wigglesworth earned a living as a plumber. He openly admitted struggling with an explosive temper, saying:
«"Such a bad temper I used to have, it made me tremble all over."»
He also had a severe stutter, which prevented him from public speaking. Polly did the preaching while he handled finances and devoted himself to prayer.
His Turning Point (1907)
At 48 years old, Wigglesworth attended the Sunderland Revival. During the meeting, Mary Boddy, the wife of an Anglican minister, laid hands on him, and he experienced what Pentecostals call the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
His stutter immediately disappeared, and he began speaking in tongues.
When he returned home and preached for the first time, his wife Polly sat amazed in the audience, repeatedly whispering:
«"That's not my Smith... that's not my Smith!"»
2. What Made Him Different? "The Man of One Book"
Smith Wigglesworth lived differently from most ministers of his generation.
He Read Only the Bible
After learning to read through Scripture, the Bible became the only book he read.
He refused to read newspapers, magazines, or secular literature, believing God's Word alone was sufficient to build faith.
He often said:
«"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—they are the best tracts on healing."»
His Conviction About Divine Healing
Wigglesworth and his wife made a personal covenant not to rely on medicine or doctors, choosing instead to trust God for healing. This reflected their personal conviction about faith and divine healing.
He testified that after suffering a ruptured appendix, he was miraculously healed through prayer.
Spiritual Warfare
He believed sickness was ultimately connected to the work of Satan in a fallen world and ministered with bold faith that Christ's authority was greater.
3. The Secret of His Power
Those closest to Wigglesworth, including his friend Albert Hibbert, described the spiritual habits that shaped his life.
The 15-Minute Rule
Wigglesworth never considered himself fully dressed unless he carried a New Testament in his pocket.
He committed himself never to go more than 15 minutes without either reading God's Word or spending time in prayer, regardless of where he was or what he was doing.
He lived by four simple principles:
1. Read the Word of God.
2. Consume the Word until it consumes you.
3. Believe the Word.
4. Act on the Word.
He never relied on education, eloquence, or natural ability.
Instead, he confessed:
«"There never was a weaker man on the platform... All natural things in my life point exactly opposite to my being able to stand on the platform and preach the gospel. The secret is that the Holy Ghost came."»
His Global Ministry
Wigglesworth preached throughout the world, including South Africa, the United States, Australia, and Europe.
Many testimonies describe remarkable healings during his ministry, including reports of cancers disappearing, blind eyes receiving sight, and numerous other miracles. Some biographical accounts also claim that people were raised from the dead through his prayers. While these accounts are widely circulated in Pentecostal literature, the level of historical documentation varies, and readers should distinguish between firsthand evidence and later testimonies.
Lessons from His Life
Smith Wigglesworth lived as though there should be no gap between what Jesus taught in the Gospels and how believers live every day.
His life reminds Christians that God often chooses ordinary people who fully trust Him rather than those who simply possess natural ability.
His message was simple:
- Fill your life with God's Word.
- Live a life of continual prayer.
- Believe what God has spoken.
- Act in obedience.
- Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than your own strength.
As the apostle Paul wrote:
«"My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." — 1 Corinthians 2:4 (KJV)»
And as Jesus promised:
«"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also..." — John 14:12 (KJV)»